Latin crooner Jose Luis Perales still snags fans' hearts.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

MIAMI _ Inside the Doral, Fla., studios of Spanish-language network Univision, everyone wants a minute with Jose Luis Perales.

The Spanish songwriter and singer of Latin pop classics like "Te Quiero" is prepping for his appearance on "Sabado Gigante," Univision's hit weekend variety show, where he will promote his latest album, "Me han contado que existe un paraiso" ("I've Been Told That Paradise Exists").

A network producer asks to tape a promotional clip featuring a few words from Perales and promises it will take only a few minutes. Another producer wants Perales to return to Univision's studios the following morning and tape an interview, maybe sing on the morning news show, "Esta Manana" ("This Morning").

"After 28 years as an artist," Perales says, "and traveling and performing in America, there are many people here who love me."

There is not so much vanity in Perales' statement as authority. Indeed, at a time when Latin pop's brightest stars are flashy, young and limber, Perales' graying hair and modest stage manner lack the polyrhythmic pizazz that has characterized the genre's recent explosion.

Still, Perales does not want for fans.

He is something of an elder statesman of Latin pop, having made his name in the 1970s as a songwriter for bigger names like Rafael and Julio Iglesias and later breaking out on his own with enduring classics like "Y Como Es El." It was an era when Latin pop was characterized by romance, not rhythm. And nearly three decades later, Perales still writes songs with melody and lyric first in mind.